The Daily Populous Saturday October 11st, 2025 morning edition
Authored by cbsnews.com and submitted by jundeminzi

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced a finalized agreement that will allow the Qatari Emiri Air Force to build a facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

The agreement, which Hegseth announced alongside Qatari Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon, will allow Qatari pilots to receive training alongside U.S. soldiers. There are no foreign military bases in the U.S., but some foreign militaries do maintain a presence for training. The Singaporean Air Force also has a presence at the Mountain Home base.

Hegseth said he is "proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force Facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho."

"The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15's and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability, it's just another example of our partnership," Hegseth said. "And I hope you know, your excellency, that you can count on us."

Later Friday, Hegseth clarified that Qatar would not have its own base in the U.S., writing on X: "The U.S. military has a long-standing partnership w/ Qatar, including today's announced cooperation w/ F-15QA aircraft. However, to be clear, Qatar will not have their own base in the United States-nor anything like a base. We control the existing base, like we do with all partners."

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 10, 2025. Ken Cedeno / REUTERS

The move is another demonstration of the Trump administration's increasingly close relationship with Qatar.

President Trump signed an executive order last month "assuring the security of the state of Qatar," following Israel's decision to carry out a military strike in Qatar's capital city of Doha, where the vast majority of Qataris live. "The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States," the executive order reads.

Qatar also played a "substantial" role in the Israel-Hamas peace deal, as Hegseth said Friday and as other top administration officials have acknowledged.

Mr. Trump's decision to an accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jetliner from Qatar to use as a presidential plane also stirred up debate about ethical and national security-related concerns. When finished, the plane will be used as Air Force One.

ZachMash on October 10th, 2025 at 17:53 UTC »

I'm sure some won't read the article but it goes on to say "The Singaporean Air Force also has a presence at the Mountain Home base." They're not setting up a sovereign military base, they're getting a few buildings in a corner of a single airbase so they can have some permanent staff and pilots stationed there. Essentially a military embassy if you will.

Edit: Also, what can be hand waived into existence by an executive order can just as easily be hand waived away, it's not a congressionally passed military alliance - just a pinky promise.

Cole62491 on October 10th, 2025 at 17:30 UTC »

I was in the Airforce and this is actually fairly common, the base they're going to be at has a Singaporean squadron. The US also has a massive base in Qatar that serves as a main access point to the region. Tbh I already expected them to be training in the US.

jundeminzi on October 10th, 2025 at 16:21 UTC »

SS: in another sign of strong US-Qatari ties, the two countries have agreed to "build a Qatari Emiri Air Force Facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho", announced during a meeting between Pete Hegseth and the Qatari minister of defense. The stated purpose is to allow Qatari pilots to train with US soldiers. The Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho currently also hosts the air force of Singapore.